BRIDGEWATER -- Somerset County 4-H announced on Jan. 15 that the Somerset Patriots are this year's winners of the Somerset County 4-H K-9 Dano Award.

The award is given annually to a county business or resident that has gone "above and beyond in their treatment of animals." The Patriots were honored for promoting pet adoption events during the baseball season and for hosting games where dog owners can bring their pets to the ballpark.

K-9 Dano was a Somerset County Sheriff's Office police dog from 2002 to 2014; "Dano's Law," which protects all law enforcement animals from death threats, is named after him. He was inducted into the New Jersey Animal Hall of Fame in 2015.